Not everyone believes the United States actually put a man on the Moon in 1969. Some people think the whole lunar landing was filmed in a sound studio. It’s an old, fully debunked conspiracy theory getting a fun new cinematic twist. What if that staged production was nothing more than a backup plan? That’s the premise behind Apple Original Films and Columbia Picture’s upcoming movie Fly Me to the Moon starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum. The Fly Me to the Moon trailer tries to sell itself to audiences by focusing on how NASA sold the space program to America.

You can’t put a person on the Moon with only hard work and knowhow. You also need a whole lot of money. And to get that you need a whole lot of support. Since rocket scientists aren’t exactly marketing geniuses, NASA calls in an expert in the first-look at Fly Me to the Moon. But getting the public’s buy-in doesn’t guarantee a successful mission, and that’s something the government can’t risk.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:

Fly Me to the Moon is a sharp, stylish comedy-drama set against the high-stakes backdrop of NASA’s historic Apollo 11 moon landing. Brought in to fix NASA’s public image, sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones (Johansson) wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis’s (Tatum) already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as back-up and the countdown truly begins…

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum standing outside on a pier in Fly me to the Moon
Sony Pictures/Apple Original Films

The film comes from director Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon) with a script by Rose Gilroy. It also stars Nick Dillenburg, Anna Garcia, Jim Rash, Noah Robbins, Colin Woodell, Christian Zuber, Donald Elise Watkins, Ray Romano, and Woody Harrelson.

Fly Me to the Moon has a great trailer and we can’t wait until it lands in theaters on July 12, 2024. The conspiracy theory about whether or not the government truly faked the Moon landing will continue on long after.